Not applicable
The present invention relates to accessories for muzzleloading weapons in general, and to dispensers for caps and primers in particular.
Despite their obsolescence as military arms, black powder and muzzleloading weapons continue to see use as sporting arms, both in target and hunting applications. Far from being an abandoned technology, state regulations regarding the use of firearms in hunting have led to an increased interest in muzzleloading weapons, with many states setting aside extended or specialized hunting seasons for hunters using these weapons.
One type of black powder musket which last saw U.S. military use in the Civil War, employed a flanged-cup like cap known as a xe2x80x9ctop hatxe2x80x9d cap. Civil War era soldiers typically carried these brass caps in a paper wrapper, and then in a box or bag, typically of leather, immediately before going into battle. Prior to firing the musket, the concave cap was removed from the bag and placed over the musket""s nipple, preparatory to being struck by the hammer to ignite the black powder charge. Another capper for top hat caps has a generally teardrop shaped can, which the user must shake to force a single cap forward for application to the musket nipple. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,864 issued Sep. 14, 1999 (the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein), a top hat capper was disclosed which accommodated multiple inline top hat caps for convenient dispensing.
True top hat caps are used by shooters who place a high value on fidelity to historical technology. Nevertheless, these specialized caps are not available in all sporting goods stores, and as a result may need to be ordered through the mail. Developments in postal regulations can make the shipment of munitions a burdensome operation. Hence, many muzzleloaders have sought a modern alternative to the traditional top hat musket cap. This need has been supplied by the substitution of conventional 209 shotgun primers. These shotgun primers are readily available, as they are widely used for reloading shotgun shells. In the last decade, in-line action muzzleloading rifles have been developed which utilize shotgun primers. These firearms have a rifled barrel, and a primer holder or primer nip which receives the shotgun primer and holds it in position with respect to the barrel. The chamber rearward of the primer holder is in-line with the barrel, and is thus a fairly tight space, which will not admit a top hat capper such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,864. Molded plastic cappers, which hold only a single primer at one time are known, but these devices require a new primer to be loaded after each dispensing, impeding the speed with which a shooter can make subsequent shots.
What is needed is a dispenser for multiple shotgun primers which may be employed with inline action muzzleloaders.
The primer dispenser of this invention has a brass housing with an axially extending floor with two converging upwardly extending side walls which define a channel extending between a primer inlet and a primer outlet. A resilient lanyard clip is removably fastened to the side walls adjacent the primer inlet. By compressing the clip, pins on the end of the clip legs are released from pin holes in the side walls, allowing the clip to be removed and primers to be loaded through the primer inlet. At the opposite end, a spring steel spring is riveted to the housing floor. The spring has a protruding spacer segment facing the primer inlet, and a restraint segment facing the outlet. A series of primers are restrained between the spring spacer segment and the primer inlet, yet the spacer segment may be deflected by pushing a primer toward the primer outlet until it is engaged on the restraint segment. The engaged primer is then presented for engagement on the primer holder of an in-line action muzzleloading rifle. By pulling the dispenser, the primer is moved along the restraint segment, depressing it, and allowing the primer to be dispensed. A semicircular cut-out in the floor adjacent the primer outlet serves as a decapper, allowing the spent primer to be removed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for shotgun primers into the primer holder of an in-line action muzzleloading rifle.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for shotgun primers into the primer holder of an in-line action muzzleloading rifle, which holds multiple primers for hand advancement.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for shotgun primers which also functions as a decapper.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a capper for dispensing shotgun primers which is economically fabricated of metal.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.